Welcome all, this is my second Monster Hunter Fanfic. My main idea of this one is the typical Hunter being assigned to a village, just like the games, but with a few twists. I'll talk more at the end, for now enjoy. (ps I do not own Monster Hunter)
Tale of a Hunter: Emile the Intern
Book: Spring
Ch1: Goodbye Port Tanzia
Emile watches the crowd of his upper class men walking across the stage in the middle of Port Tanzia. One after another, their names get called, get up on stage, shake their instructors' hands taking their Certificate of Graduation, and leaving off the other side of the stage.
Emile yawns in boredom, but despite the boredom, he feels a thrill lingering in his stomach. This time next year he will be one of them crossing the stage. One of them, ready to become fully certified Hunter. After these long many years in the Wycademy Hunter's Academy, his dream of being a fully certified hunter is nearly in reach. He just has to make it through his Internship, and then his dream will be a reality, but first.., he has to survive this long drawn out ceremony.
Yawning again Emile shift in his chair to a more comfortable position, lightly humming to his self while doing it. His classmates beside him hopefully don't mind, or maybe just didn't notice, being focused on the graduation ceremony. Emile lightly listens in to the Headmaster reading off every grad's name.
"Alviar Donds, congratulations for completing your Academic and Internship in Loc Lac." The Head Master shakes the students hand and pats him on the shoulder.
Emile yawns again; he shakes his head trying to keep focused. He doesn't want to miss the announcement of where he and his classmates have to go for Internship placements.
I wonder where I'm going to get posted? I know that Moga Village and Kokoto Village are both taking in one student each, but I doubt I'll be one of them. The city of Loc Lac usually takes four or five students. Well Loc Lac, it'd be cool but it's one of the more typical Internship placements and to top it all off its only located a week or so North East. Too close, I want to see somewhere new exciting. The New World would be awesome, months away overseas, the newest frontier known to the Guild, new discoveries around every corner. But I doubt simple Internship student like us would get that opportunity. Maybe I'll get somewhere on the far reaches of the Old World, somewhere far out there, unheard of, long forgotten.
Just thinking of the exciting possibilities made the thrill in Emile stomach stir. He shifts in his chair again, readying to go.
"Hellen Drumfil,"
"How are they still of the D section?" Emile sighs and shifts in his chair again.
After what seemed like a month's worth of waiting for the ceremony to be over with it finally ended.
"All sixth year students proceed to Third Lecture Hall, for further instruction on your Internship status.
Emile stood up and stretched. Finally its time, let's see where I'm going. Emile follows the crowd to the third Lecture hall, and proceeds to his usual seat, left column, third row up, two seats in. All the students don't waste time getting to their seats. The atmosphere is thick with anxiety.
The Instructors all file in shortly and stand at the front of the room. The Head of the Hunter Exchange Internship Program, Neil Kolpmun, steps in front of the other Instructors.
"I'm sure you are all eager, anxious, excited to find out where you are being sent for the next year, but patients for a few more minutes please." He claps his hands together, his robe sway. "Before we give you your positions I am required be the Guild and the Wycademy itself to read you the rules of the Internship one last time."
The whole room of students awe in disappointment. Emile groans and shifts in his seat.
"I know, I know, so I'll keep it brief as possible. This is a four term Internship, each season is considered a term regardless if where you are going has the four seasons or not. Every Term you will be given a paper assignment, Quest Quota, and a Hunting Rank minimal rank to achieve. To keep your Internship you must complete these before your Term Test. The Term Test will be hunting quest of our choosing of a certain monster of our choosing. You will all have a Supervisor grading you over the entire Internship. Every month you will get a set living allowance on top of what you'd make on quests, just like actual Hunters. Act in a professional behavior, because there will be zero tolerance for bad behavior. Don't make the tittle of a Hunter a status of power, if you do say goodbye to your hunting career."
Instructor Kolpmun takes a breath, "Finally remember, you aren't fully licensed Hunters yet. Sure you passed a Mock Hunter's Exam to get this point, but consider that as your "Learners Hunting License". Also at the time of your Graduation you can choose if you want to be a hunter for us, the Wycademy, or the Hunter's Guild. Only the top five who pass their Internship and Term Exams at the top of the class get to by-pass the true Hunter's Exam for either the Wycademy or the Guild, and graduate as fully certified Hunters."
The student body starts murmuring to their selves.
That'd be great if I was among the top five. Being instantly a hunter for the Guild… but my track record isn't looking too hot. Emile sighs, and shifts in his chair.
Instructor Kolpmun begins again, a bit louder to drown out the students' whispers "Fear not, if you are not one of the lucky five. Your Six years in the Wycademy Hunter's Academy has prepared you for the Hunter's Exam. Up to date ninety six percent of our students have passed the Guild's Hunter Exam, and ninety eight percent passed the Wycademy's Hunter Exam."
Instructor Kolpmun claps his hands, "Well that should have covered all the bases. If you have any questions please come see me in my office before the end of the day. With that I hope you all become a fine Hunters and find Happiness, Joy and Love."
Instructor Kolpmun leaves the room and comes back with a case. He sits it down on the Instructors table and hands out a handful of papers to each instructor. "Now time to hand out your Internship Position Agreements." Instructor Kolpmun raises his hands and the rest of the instructors walk through out the hall handing out the Agreements.
"Here you go Emile," Emile's Botany Instructor hand him a stack of papers, "I hope you do better on your Internship then you did in my courses." She calls him out.
"Yeah… same here." Emile mumbles taking his papers not wanting to talk about his low botany grades. She shakes her head and continues on.
A couple student make remakes about their locations, Emile blocks out the other students.
Emile eagerly sets the Agreement down in front of his self. He pages through it scanning over text looking for where he is going. Best weapon match: Gunlance, Legal stuff, Emergency contacts. His heart stops, Emile Tiveman is hereby assigned to the Village of Trellou.
"Trellou? I never heard of it." Emile mumbles picking up the stack of papers and starts flipping pages, hoping to find a map of some sort. Two long yellow rectangular pieces of paper fall out and plop on to the desk. Emile stops flipping pages and looks at the two pieces of paper. Emile cocks his head looking at the ship embroidered in red ink contrasting the yellow parchment paper, "Ferry tickets?"
No way am I going to the New World?!
Emile keeps paging through the agreement trying to maintain his excitement. The stack of paper thins, still no map. Emile sighs with a bit of relief when he comes across a map on the very last page. He turns the documents so North faces away from him. He quickly spots Port Tanzia, and follows a red dotted line from Port Tanzia, out to the ocean, past Moga Village, out of the Gulf of Tanzia, past Cheeko Sands Archipelago. His stomach boils with excitement, fingers clammy with anxiety.
"Damn," Emile sighs watching the line keep going north. The New World is west not north. But that still leaves the question of where am I going?
The line keeps going past Minegarde, and still going north. It wraps around the continent and stops on what looks like a peninsula with a mark "Port Trellou" which connects to plateau between two Mountain Ranges, one is the Pokke Mountain Range and the other is named the Trellou Mountain Range. Between those two mountain ranges is a small point labeled "Trellou Village."
Emile lets out a deep breath. This is it, a start of a new chapter. A start to a new adventure, finally.
Just watch over me Sis, you'll see the world just like you wanted to. I'll be sure to see it. Emile smiles, and turns his attention back to the two yellow tickets. He picks up one ticket and examines it: a sea worthy Ferry is printed in red ink, to the far left is some text sating something about food redeeming food on the route. He flips over the ticket; there is some upside down text on the back. He spins it around so he can read it.
"Departure…. Second of April…Oh shit that's tomorrow!" Emile shouts, drawing the attention of the people nearby him.
Shortly a female student two rows over from him shouts the same thing. Like a chain reaction a handful of other students shout also with the same surprise.
"Yes it is." Instructor Kolpmun answers firmly over the students shock; almost as in he was expecting this reaction. "I'd advice for all of you to get your starting equipment right away. Go to the Forge and show them your Student ID cards, and page six of your Internship agreement and they will give you your starting armor and weapon. And yes you can rip page six out that one goes and stays with the forge."
"Then sir, can I be-"
"Excused? Yes, you all are finished in this Academy till you come back for graduation." Instructor Kolpmun interrupts the female student two rows over from Emile.
Instantly the whole entire room of students starts packing up, and swiftly shuffles out the door. Emile quickly grabs his bag and puts his agreement in and shuffles out the door.
"I'm home," Emile calls out entering his home. He grunts setting down a bag full of armor he got from the forge twenty minutes before.
"I'm in the studio," Emma, Emile's mother shouts from the other side of the house.
Emile throws his book bag up the steps, and takes the Gunlance he was given at the forge off his back and leans it in the corner beside the door. He unbuckles the shied and puts it beside the Iron Gunlance. Kicking off his boots he takes the stairs two at a time takes a left. Hangs his book bag on the door knob to his room, and keeps walking down the hall past the dining room and takes a right, down a half flight of stairs and into the studio. The studio is a mess, pages everywhere, tattoo equipment is out. It is usually a lot cleaner seeing as customers come to get tattoos here. At the front desk he sees his mother hunched over in front of the window drawing up another outline. Strands of dark burgundy hairs hang in front of her brown eyes, but she's too focused working on the parchment in front of her.
Emile pauses and looks at his mother. She's one of the best Tattoo artists in Port Tanzia. He got his skills with pen and ink from her, but everything else about him contrasts his mother. Her dark burgundy hair contrasts his bright red hair. Her brown eyes contrast his golden hazel eyes. His skin is darker than his mother's pale white skin, but one can't really tell her skin tone with the amount of tattoos she has.
"Hey Mom," Emile greets his mother as he enters the studio. He looks at the art templates his mother created all on the floor. She's in a creative mood today or she got another tattoo request? Whatever it is she's really trying to get it perfect.
"How was the Academy today Emile?" Emma asks without taking her head away from her current art draft.
Emil keeps walking to his mother's side, "Well I know where my Internship is going to be,"
"That's great," his mother hums tossing another parchment paper aside not happy with its design, and starts over on another paper.
"Yeah, but the kicker is that I have to depart tomorrow." Emile plays with his little rattail ponytail on the back of his head and picks up the parchment his mother toss aside, it's a Crocus. His heart leaps, this flower is important to him and his mother. It is his sister's favorite flower… or at least it was. Emile holds it near his left arm, wishing he could take it with him. Despite pretty much failing his botany courses this is the one flower he knows.
"Are you serious?" Emma puts her pen down and turns to face Emile.
"Y-yeah." Emile mumbles, looking his mother in the eyes.
"Well what we doing standing here?" Emma abruptly gets up from her chair, "We need to start packing your things!" She marches past Emile towards the house.
"Whoa Mom," Emile gets in front of his mother holding out his hands. "I've actually been packed for a week now."
"A-are you serious?" Emma looks at her son with amazement.
"Yes, I am serious."
"Geez, you are more prepared than your father or sister ever were." She sits back down and pick up her pen. She looks back Emile and notices he's holding the Crocus design close to his arm. Her face lights up, she clears the seat beside her and pats her hand on it. "Sit, I'll give you a going away gift."
Emile sits down, raises an eye brow, "uh, going away gift? Mom you only do tattoos."
"I know," she gets out coloured ink and multitudes of needles. "And I'm giving you one."
"Wh-what? You refused to give me tattoos when I asked."
"And now I'm giving you one, you going to accept it?"
"Well I want to choose what I get."
"I have a feeling you have already decided, or am I wrong?" His mother looks up at him smiling.
Emile shivers, "Stop reading my mind mother." His face burns flush pink.
"I can't, it is part of the job of being a mother." She laughs, "So?" she gestures to the parchment in his hands.
"Oh, yes," Emile holds out the picture of the Crocus, "It was her favorite flower, I want to have it close to me, to remind me of her, to let her watch over me."
"What a fine choice Emile." Emma smiles again. Emile stomach ties itself in a knot knowing that her smile hides her fragmented heart. "Where you want it?"
"On my left arm, my shield arm, so I can protect her while she watches over me." Emile holds out his left arm.
Emma takes his arm and flips it over, pulls back Emile's red blazer, and quickly reaches into her desk producing an alcohol solution. She proceeds to pour the solution on his left arm sanitizing it. She takes the sheet of parchment and lays it on Emile's wet skin and lets it sit for a minute. She removes the parchment and it leaves behind an outline of the Crocus on his arm.
"And done."
"What?!" Emile shouts getting up from his chair, "This is just a temporary layover not an actual tattoo."
Emma bursts out laughing, "I'm just pulling your leg Emile, sit back down."
Emile grumbles and sits back down, and holds his arm out for his mother again. Emma begins working on his arm. Emile clenches his teeth at the pain, but it wasn't as bad as he was expecting.
"You know Emile," His mother states working away, "You should go see them, before you leave; I think they'd enjoy it."
"Yeah," His guts shiver, It has been over eight years now… and I only went there twice since… well then. "After this, I'll go show her."
"Grace will appreciate it, I know it."
One painful hour and half later, Emma finishes. Emile looks at his arm, his jaw drops. A single purple Crocus, popping out of the snow, a sign of spring, a new hope, a new beginning. Emile is astonished at the beauty and detail of his mother's work.
Emma wraps a bandage around it, "Keep this over it or next few days, let your arm heal first."
"Right, will do thanks mom." Emile smiles gently."
"Well what are you doing here?" his mom pats Emile's head.
"P-pardon?" Emile looks at his mother confused.
"Didn't you say you were going to visit them?"
"R-right, guess I'm off then."
"I'll have supper will be ready at sundown, so be back by then. And be sure to visit BOTH of them."
"Okay, see you then, later." Emile says heading out the Customer only door.
Emile walks to a flower shop and picks up a bouquet of flowers. He hops onto an Aptonoth cart heading the same direction out of Tanzia. Emile hops off when the road Y's and thanks the Felyne cart driver and continues on. The road runs up along a cliff side leading to a flat area facing the ocean. At the top of the cliff is an arched gate, Hunter's Memorial Grounds.
Emile lets out a sigh; little bits of lingering regret eat away at the back of his mind. He shakes his head hoping to rid of the thoughts eating at him. With a deep breath he continues into the Memorial Grounds. He walks with painful memories rising from the depths of his conscious; he shakes his head again suppressing them.
Head stones and Weapons stick out of the ground, marking the places where fallen hunters rest throughout the Memorial Grounds. There are few people here; showing respect to the fallen, and some visiting loved one. Emile keeps walking, and turns towards the cliff. He turns right a row before the cliffs edge, four in and he comes across a rusted Lance with what remains of a shield hanging off the lance. The lance, Shadow Javelin, made from Gigginox and iron, sits rusting from the ocean air, slowly decaying. He stops and faces the grave.
"Hey sister, Grace, It's been a while hasn't it?" He sets the bouquet of flowers beside the weapon that's speared into the ground. "I brought you some flowers, sorry they aren't your favorite ones, Crocuses are no longer in bloom, but," Emile unwraps the bandage on his arm, revealing the tattoo his mother just gave him, and presents it to the grave. "Mom actually gave me a tattoo, can you believe that? As you can probably tell, I got a Crocus."
He runs his hands over his sore red irritated skin where the tattoo is, "Now you can see your favorite flower all the time while you watch over me. Oh yeah, my internship starts tomorrow. Finally I can go see the world, just like you wanted to, so watch over me and you'll see the world too." Emile lets out a broken smile. He kneels down and lowers his head "You fought with valor till the end, now rest in peace, Huntress …Grace… sister."
Emile stands up, "I'll be sure to visit you next time I'm back in Port Tanzia." He wraps the bandage back around his arm. Emile takes a deep breath, "I'll see you later, sis."
He turns and walks back towards the gate. His eyes make contact with one Headstone as he walks by; he bites his tongue to stop his self from saying anything aloud. His eyes still glare at the Headstone though.
You, I haven't forgiven you nor will I ever forgive you. You called yourself a Hunter, and yet you ran away at first sight of danger. You sully the meaning of being a Hunter… Dad… I'm off to be a better Hunter then you ever were good bye.
Dark memories of that tragic day surface again. Emile freezes and puts his hands to his face, trying to rid the flashbacks. Explosions, fire, purple, blood, one Hunter running away, one standing their ground protecting, fighting for long as they could but alas…
Ah stop it, stop it, stop it Emile! Just stop, thinking of the past won't help anything. Just stand tall and keep moving, just like she said.
Emile shakes his head finally suppressing the memories. He takes a deep breath and opens his eyes. The headstone still stands before him. Emile exhales still glaring at the headstone, and keeps moving. He leaves the Memorial grounds, looking over his shoulder, hoping to see Grace standing there. With a heavy sigh, he makes his way back to Tanzia.
"I'm heading to the docks mom." Emile hugs his mother goodbye the next morning.
"You better write to me every day!" Emma sniffs, holding tightly on to her son.
"Yes I will mom, first thing I'll do when I get there is find a way to receive and send mail."
"Darn tooting you will." His mother sobs again, but it kind of came off more like a threat.
"Okay, Mom, I kinda need to get moving before I miss the ferry." Emile pries his self from his mother's iron grip.
"Okay, be strong, my son." Emma holds her hands to her chest.
"I'll be fine besides," He holds up his bandaged left arm, "with this I know for fact I have the best Hunter in the world watching over me." Emile smiles proudly.
"Right, of course you do." Emma smiles back, still teary eyed. "Alright get moving, don't you dare miss that ferry."
"Okay, later mom." Emile says, turning around walks out the door. He picks up his pack, armor, and equips his Gunlance. He double checks to make sure he has everything , shifts the Gunlance to a more comfortable position, and starts walking towards the sound of the ocean waves.
As he walks through the town, Emile picks up on some chatter. Stories of a Huntress from Loc Lac, named… Senlie Uden. Emile keeps walking past and hearing blips and spurts about this Huntress nearly everywhere. She apparently saved the city of Loc Lac from a Jhen Mohran. There were also things about how she fought a High Rank Rathalos in Low Rank gear.
Emile shakes his head, Yeah right; these tales are probably taller than they actually are. Besides if anyone did go against a High Rank Rathalos in low gear they are just asking to die. But yet again... that'd be one hell of an adrenaline rush. Emile's guts boil in warmth thinking of how that hunt would play out. Yeah that'd be awesome hunt on the other hand though.
Emile arrives at the piers; he takes his ticket out and looks at the pier number. Pier number eight. He looks up at the hanging sign boards. Pier one to three straight, five and four to the left, and six and up to the right.
Emile looks to the right and sees a handful of fellow students. He recognizes some of them by the Red blazers that the Wacademy give to students in the Hunter's programs, the others he recognizes others by their faces.
If everyone is there then some of us must all be taking the same ship.
Emile starts walking towards the group and spots one he knows all too well. Her Strawberry Blond hair flows to her shoulders just like the waves in the ocean, her eyes glitter like the moon with their pale blue shine, her uniform, though it's the same as everyone's, somehow just works so beautifully on her more than anyone else. Veronica, though she's a year beneath him, he can't help but smile whenever he sees her.
Veronica looks at him, and starts making her way to him. Emile jumps. She's coming over here! Is she looking at me? No way she's probably going home or coming to see someone else who happens to be behind me. Emil turns around to see if there was someone behind him… there isn't.
"Hey, Emile."
Emile jumps again, his heart fluttering. He turns to face Veronica, she's standing right in front of him, looking up to his eyes. She's slightly smaller then he though she was, but that doesn't matter right now. His beautiful crush came to see him. "Oh… umm hi Veronica." Emile's voice cracks. He clears his throat and pretends it didn't happen. "You came to see off the upperclassmen?" He tries to play it cool, even though his body sweating buckets.
"Yeah, and I came to see you off mostly." Veronica smiles sweetly, making Emile's heart soar.
"Oh? Yeah? Whys that? I mean its c-cool and all." Emile starts tripping over his words, "No not cool. No, no I mean it's cool but I mean… uhg…"
Veronica laughs at Emile stumbling on his words so hard she snorts on accident. She startles herself and grabs her nose, her face gets flush red. They both stand there looking at each other's red faces in silence for over a minute. Veronica swiftly reaches outs and grabs Emile's collar, pulls him in.
Emile stands there unsure what's happening. Veronica, his crush, their lips touching… We're kissing?! Her moist lips send fireworks through his body. His first kiss… is it hers too?
Veronica pulls away, her face flush and red. "I think that speaks for its self." She looks at Emile, smiling and holds out her hand with a piece of parchment. Emile takes it and looks at it, it has her mailing address. "Please write to me when you get settled."
"Oh, yes, yeah for sure! Of course I will!" Emile says louder than he think he did. A couple people stop and look at him and Veronica.
Veronica laughs, "This is so, well how should I put it… exhilarating? A relief?" She pauses thinks of words, she shakes her head and moves on from the idea, "I mean it's a dream come true, ever since my first year at the Academy I've had a crush on you and now I right before you leave I finally got enough back bone to tell you."
Emile's jaw drops, his crush has a crush on him?! He can't believe it.
Dude! Dude! You're staring at her with your mouth wide open! Pull it together!
Emile pulls his jaw closed,"Y-you got more back bone then me… I had a crush on you for a couple years now, but I couldn't even approach you." Emile admits with ease as he reaches behind his head and plays with his little rattail.
Veronica quickly latches on to him, hugging him, "I'm so relived its mutual, I was scared you would turn me down," She nuzzles her face into his chest, "but I had to do this today because this would have been my last chance to do so."
Emile hugs her back; his heart is up and above cloud nine. "I'm glad you did too."
A whistle from a nearby ferry screeches as loud and as horrible as a Khezu. The one minute to departure warning.
"That's probably my Ferry…" Emile looks down at Veronica.
"One last thing," Veronica looks up at him; she stands on her tiptoes and kisses him again. She stands back down and lets Emile go. "Alright, get going don't miss this opportunity." She smiles at him, her face just as red as a Volvidon.
"Thank you, I'll write to you soon as I can." Emile backs up keeping eye contact with Veronica.
"I'll be waiting for you." She smiles again.
"I'll see you when I return." Emile says softly, and turns around and runs to catch his ferry.
The attendant takes his ticket allows him to board. Emile pushes through the crowd and makes his way to the railing at the edge of the deck. The ferry departs shortly. A mass amount of people gather around the pier to wave goodbye to their loved ones on the ferry. Emile spots Veronica waving on the verge of tears, he waves back. Within minutes people clear out making their way to their assigned cabins. Except a hand full of the Wycademy students remain waving to loved ones they can no longer make out on the piers.
Emile eyes wonder up to the cliff face, where the Hunters Memorial Grounds are. One lone figure stands at the cliff edge.
"Mom, I'll be back soon." Emile whispers, knowing who the figure is.
Emile turns away from the shore looking at the ocean ahead. He unconsciously touches his lips. Finding love on this internship… Was things like this for you too Sis? Emile leans on the railings and smiles his heart still fluttering. Maybe this Internship won't turn out half as bad as I think it will be.
And Emile is off on his Internship to become a Hunter. Four terms is a long time to learn, improve, and make friends.
So I hope you all enjoyed the First Chapter. I've been in the writing mood for a while now and I hope it keeps going. I've plotted out Book one already and shouldn't be hard to write it all out (the books just represent the term season... just sounds cooler then term). At the time of release it will be Rated T for language and alcohol references but it might get bumped up to M (along with: Tale of a Hunter: Senlie).
If you enjoyed this please leave hit that Follow/ Favorite button and feel free to comment/ leave a review. I'll try and be more active and I always enjoy seeing new followers, favorites and reviews/ comments.
Well I'm off to keep writing, later.